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At the end of 2023, Premier Padel became the only main circuit in existence, by acquiring the World Padel Tour. The WPT had been in place since 2013 and managed to completely transform the world of professional padel in just 10 years. A look back at what we remember and the progress this circuit has brought to the sport over the years.
What is the World Padel Tour?
In 2013, the World Padel Tour was created to rethink the professional circuit, formerly known as the Pro Padel Tour (PPT). For the first time, it was the Spanish beer company Damm that held the majority of shares in the WPT and relied on players' opinions to change the circuit's model. The aim was to best showcase the sport in everyone's eyes: the players. The WPT then introduced several measures:
- The expansion of the circuit beyond Spain. Once the circuit was well established in Spain, it had to be exported to showcase it to as many people as possible and make padel an international sport. Padel tournaments then began to emerge in South America and Europe, in addition to those already held in Spain: Buenos Aires, Mexico, Rome and Paris, among others. As a result, spectators in each country were able to enjoy discovering this sport and watching the world's best players compete. The result? The number of licensed players and padel courts soared in the countries concerned.
- Increased prize money for players. To travel to all four corners of the globe to compete in tournaments, players need additional funds and extra motivation to play in front of the whole world. Tournament prize money was one of the drivers for players to join forces with the WPT against the PPT.
- Broadcasting matches through the media. The World Padel Tour was also quite forward-thinking, quickly offering tournament broadcasts on television in certain countries and, more broadly, free of charge on YouTube. In France, Canal+ acquired the rights. With a rapidly growing sport, it is an essential source of revenue for the organisation. The WPT's YouTube channel and website were very well developed: padel rankings and live scores, highlights and best-of videos posted quickly… Everything to satisfy users and make their padel experience as complete as possible.
Over these 10 years, the WPT has made numerous advances to increase the popularity of padel around the world, while trying to satisfy its players. The mission was accomplished, with popularity rising, as shown by the supporters attending the final WPT tournament in Barcelona in December 2023: 15,779 people present, a record broken.
Why was the World Padel Tour replaced by Premier Padel?
For several years, the relationship between the World Padel Tour and its players has been tense. Back in 2018, most players had nearly moved to another circuit, the International Padel Tour, now renamed A1Padel. It was at the last minute that the circuit had managed to keep its players, who still wanted higher pay distributed more fairly among all players. The WPT agreed and met these demands, while adding a near-exclusivity clause to the circuit, all the way until December 2023, when the contract ended.
But in 2021, the creation of a parallel circuit called Premier Padel by QSI (Qatar Sports Investments), led by PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, changed everything. Strengthened by the creation of the PPA (Professional Padel Association), which will defend players' interests through its president Alejandro Galan, the pros began looking towards Premier Padel, which guarantees them greater financial security (prize money doubled compared with the WPT). However, the WPT's exclusivity contract held them back. The result? A legal and financial battle between the players, Premier Padel and the WPT.
The World Padel Tour found itself cornered by the money from Qatar and Premier Padel, taking on the role of the PPT a few years earlier. Despite their resistance, often too forceful, the 2023 season alternated between WPT and Premier Padel tournaments, and the circuit owned by Damm was acquired by QSI, which became the only main circuit from 2024 onwards.
Premier Padel vs World Padel Tour: what are the differences?
2024 is the first season for Premier Padel as the main circuit, and several differences can be noted compared with the WPT. First, the number of tournaments: after the 27 WPT tournaments and 8 Premier Padel tournaments in 2023, there are 24 tournaments in 2024, in addition to the December Master Finals. 4 majors, comparable to tennis Grand Slam tournaments, are held in Paris, Rome, Mexico and Doha, with the remaining tournaments split into P1 and P2 events that award fewer points. At the end of the year, the final tournament bringing together the season's best pairs, the Master Finals, takes place in Barcelona for the grand final. Fewer tournaments, more prize money and stars satisfied with the organisation of this circuit.
WPT and Premier Padel changes: what are the consequences?
This change took place over 2 years and was fairly gradual, allowing players to adapt little by little to the new tournaments. However, there were consequences to this change and this new way of operating. First, the number of tournaments decreased, particularly in Spain. Some cities and organisers are disappointed not to host tournaments anymore. This internationalisation is also reflected in the less favourable treatment given to lower-ranked Spanish-speaking players (below 30th in the world rankings), who are overrepresented compared with other European countries where padel is rapidly developing. Indeed, these European players have more favourable rights to enter tournaments or qualifying events. There is even discussion of creating a second players' association for lower-ranked Spanish-speaking players.
In terms of inequality, the disparities between top-seeded players and the others have not been addressed; they have sometimes even worsened. Premier Padel places enormous emphasis on these headline acts, the world's best pairs, sometimes neglecting the others. As padel is still a developing sport, it is sometimes difficult for professionals below 30th in the world rankings to make a living and afford travel, especially with the reduced number of tournaments in Spain.
In conclusion, the World Padel Tour was a tremendous catalyst for padel internationally, introducing this sport to as many people as possible through its tournaments and stars. It also helped create genuine enthusiasm around the professional circuit and made the world's best players more visible in the media. It was also the stage for many landmark events, such as the split between Fernando Belasteguin and Juan Martin Diaz, the dominance of Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan, and the rise to power of young players such as Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia. All these events made the WPT, the most important professional padel circuit to date.
Premier Padel's rise to power can be seen as a natural continuation of what the WPT had begun. The idea is to grow internationally as a perfect circuit that draws crowds from all over the world to watch its stars perform worldwide. However, care must be taken not to lose the very essence of padel, cherished by all professional and amateur padeleros: sharing and enjoyment on the court.
